Ohio pill mill owner gets 262-month sentence

The former owner of a Chillicothe pain clinic will spend nearly 22 years in prison for his role in the operation of a pill mill.

In Cincinnati's United States District Court for the Southern District on Monday, Judge Michael Barrett sentenced Kevin Huff, 36, of Portsmouth, to 262 months in prison.

The case was prosecuted by attorneys with the Ohio Attorney General's Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office as part of an ongoing, joint effort to stop the trafficking and abuse of prescription drugs.

"This case should serve as an example of just how serious we are about stopping those who are involved in overprescribing prescription medication," Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said. "People are regularly overdosing on prescriptions that they should never have access to in the first place, and if we have to put those responsible in prison for decades, that's what we'll do."

Huff plead guilty in June 2012 to one count of conspiracy to distribute Oxycodone pills in excess of 200,000 dosage units (30mg tablets) and one count of money laundering. He was the owner of Primary Health Care, 173 Renick Avenue, Chillicothe, until authorities closed the pain clinic in June 2011.

"Between July 2009 and June 2011 Huff conspired to illegally distribute Oxycodone and concealed the proceeds gained from the clinic he owned by purchasing real property, vehicles, and boats, as well as concealing the proceeds in bank accounts," U.S. Attorney Carter M. Stewart said.

Prosecutors said that Primary Health Care charged individuals $200 in exchange for prescriptions for drugs including Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, and Xanax. Physicians would write about 25 prescriptions per day.

As the owner of the clinic, investigators said Huff received payments between $5,000 and $8,000 three times a month.

The Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Chillicothe Police Department, Ross County Sheriff's Office, Ross County Prosecutor's Office, U.S. 23 Major Crimes Task Force, Ohio Board of Pharmacy, and the Internal Revenue Service also investigated the case.

"Kevin Huff not only fueled the prescription drug problem in Southern Ohio, he supported addiction in several parts of the country", said Acting Special Agent in Charge Kathy A. Enstrom, IRS, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. "IRS Criminal Investigation is committed with taking the profit away from criminal enterprises and putting those individuals in jail."

The investigation into others at the clinic remains open, and additional charges could be filed at a later date.